Final Fantasy 14 director and producer Naoki ‘Yoshi-P’ Yoshida has revealed the Dawntrail expansion release date — and joked he’s giving Elden Ring fans one week to play the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC before jumping back into the fantasy MMO.
Dawntrail launches July 2, with early access kicking off June 28 for those who pre-order. Shadow of the Erdtree launches a week earlier, on June 21. During a panel at PAX East, Yoshi-P joked that developer and publisher Square Enix had hoped to release the early access a week earlier, but… “Elden Ring DLC.”
To laughs from the crowd, Yoshi-P joked further: “We figured everybody would be interested in playing the Elden Ring DLC.” He then held up one finger, declaring: “I’ll give you one week!”
Yoshi-P continued: “So, I’ll give you one week to enjoy Elden Ring DLC and then just go into your summer vacation into Dawntrail.
“Just want to make it clear: it’s not because I want to play Elden Ring DLC and then play Dawntrail, although I am looking forward to it!”
While Dawntrail is dodging Edlen Ring’s DLC, it’s set its sights firmly on Final Fantasy 9, with a number of new references to the 2000 PSone RPG among various digital bonuses. During the same PAX East panel, Yoshi-P set tongues wagging by saying the reason for these Final Fantasy 9 references is a secret.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].
Fabian Mohr
It’s always exciting to see developers having fun with their release dates and teasing fans a little bit! The references to Final Fantasy 9 in Dawntrail definitely have me intrigued. I wonder what secrets Yoshi-P has up his sleeve this time. Can’t wait to dive into both expansions!
Abel Glover
I completely agree with you, Fabian! It’s always a delight to see game developers infuse a bit of humor and teasing into their releases. The references to Final Fantasy 9 in Dawntrail definitely add an extra layer of excitement for long-time fans of the series.
Yoshi-P’s enigmatic surprises always keep us on our toes and make exploring new content in the Final Fantasy universe so enjoyable. I’m sure both expansions will have plenty of unexpected twists and turns for us to uncover. Here’s to a summer full of thrilling adventures and strategic gameplay! Cheers!
VelocityRacer95
What references to Final Fantasy 9 in the Dawntrail expansion stood out to you the most? I’d love to hear about your favorite ones!